Third Mainland Bridge Reopens

The Third Mainland Bridge has been reopened, three days after it was temporarily closed for investigative maintenance test.

The bridge was reopened on Sunday, hours after the Lagos State government revealed in a statement that it would be opened for use ahead of schedule.

In a tweet, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) thanked the people of the state for their cooperation while the closure lasted.

The Federal Government had temporarily shut the bridge for the test with the closure initially scheduled to last from midnight of Thursday last week to midnight of Sunday.

It was, however, reopened at 5:00 pm on Sunday.

According to the statement by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Dr Taiwo Salaam, the decision to reopen the bridge earlier than announced followed the completion of the exercise by engineers.

The closure of the bridge on Thursday last week was supervised by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, and officials of relevant state government agencies.

Following the closure, LASTMA deployed 650 personnel to all alternative routes to the Third Mainland Bridge, to ensure the free flow of traffic on the roads.

LASTMA’s General Manager, Mr Olawale Musa, had said that the agency was aware of the volume of traffic on the Third Mainland Bridge and the consequences of diverting such huge traffic on the alternative routes during the period.

He had asked the officers on duty to show compassion to motorists, especially those that were unfamiliar with the alternative routes and other roads in the metropolis.

Mr Musa also urged motorists and commuters to be patient and cooperative with the traffic officers, to ensure a free flow of traffic on all alternative routes during the closure.